Thread: WI - May Day march appeals for solidarity

May Day march appeals for solidarity
Tom Lynn

[img]http://media.jsonline.com/images/458*600/mjs-march_-nws_-lynn_-8-mar(2).jpg[/img]
Marchers head down Wisconsin Ave. in the annual The May Day March for immigrant and worker rights on Sunday. The march started in Walker's Point and ended in Veterans Park.

[img]http://media.jsonline.com/images/650*228/mjs-march_-nws_-lynn_-6-mar(2).jpg[/img]
Marchers moved down Wisconsin Ave. Sunday on their way from Walkers Point to Veterans Park for a rally supporting rights for unions and illegal immigrants.

[img]http://media.jsonline.com/images/650*317/mjs-march_-nws_-lynn_-4-mar(3).jpg[/img]

Union leader Trumka joins march in support of union power, illegal immigrants' rights

By Georgia Pabst of the Journal Sentinel
May 1, 2011 |(294) Comments

Photo Gallery

Tom Lynn
Ismael Rodriguez waves the American flag as he marches down Wisconsin Ave. on Sunday.
More Photos
National AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka joined the ranks of thousands of marchers Sunday as they streamed into Veterans Park for Milwaukee's May Day march and rally, centered on the theme of solidarity for immigrant and worker rights.

"This day - May Day - is our day, our day to stand together shoulder to shoulder for immigrant and worker rights," he told the cheering crowd. "Thank you for being here and showing Wisconsin and the world that we are one."

The march, organized by Voces de la Frontera, an agency that advocates for low-income workers, was one of more than 100 that took place Sunday across the country. The marches started in 2006 when U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) introduced a bill to criminalize illegal immigrants.

"Now your Gov. Scott Walker, in the spirit of Sensenbrenner, has declared war on Wisconsin workers and, like you did before, you joined in a peaceful protest to say 'No! No!' " he said.

Trumka came to the march to spotlight the battle in the state over Walker's budget-repair bill that eliminated most collective bargaining rights for public employees.

"We reject the idea that America can no longer be a great nation and that we're too broke to treat people fairly," he said. "We reject the notion that America can't be the land of shared prosperity."

Walker has said his actions prevented the layoffs of public employees and will encourage job growth.

The yearly May Day march here to push for immigration reform has been among the largest in the country. But this year the march expanded to include worker rights. Many in the crowd this year wore shirts or carried banners for their unions, including the Service Employees International Union, the Milwaukee Teachers Education Association and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

Lee Gierke, 62, a staff representative for AFSCME, wore a green AFSCME shirt and carried a green AFSCME sign. He said he had marched before.

"But this year I'm part of the democracy diet of endless marches," he said, referring to protests in Madison in February and March.

The May Day march included people of all ages, including mothers and fathers and their children who walked the mile from the south side to the lakefront.

Lourdes Manuel, 32, pushed her 1-year-old in a stroller as she walked with her 5-year-old son, who waved a small U.S. flag.

"Yes, I come to the march each year so that things can get better for us," she said in Spanish. "We want education, not deportation. Yes, it's a long march, but it's worth it for us."

As the crowd cheered "Si, se puede," meaning "Yes, we can," and "People power," farther south in Bay View, another union battle was being commemorated Sunday afternoon.

It was a ceremony marking the 125th anniversary of the May 5, 1886, tragedy in which the state militia shot into some 1,500 workers marching for an eight-hour day, killing seven in front of the Milwaukee Iron Co. rolling mill, then Milwaukee's largest manufacturing plant, at S. Superior St. and E. Russell Ave.

The program included a re-enactment of the deadly incident with local actors Daniel Mooney and Thomas Reed supported by giant puppets created by the Milwaukee Public Theatre.

http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/121055409.html

The marches started in 2006 when U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) introduced a bill to criminalize illegal immigrants.

Excuse me for pointing out your ignorance, but Sensenbrenner didn't make your presence here illegal, it's FEDERAL law. Sensenbrenner suggested that it might be a good idea to enforce our laws.

Walker's Point, mentioned in one of the captions, is the heart of Little Tijuana.

the crowd cheered "Si, se puede,"

Perhaps you would like to speak English so American citizens can understand your demands more clearly.

i AM NOT INTERESTED IN ANY KIND OF SOLIDARITY WITH THESE ILLEGAL THEIVES, I JUST WANT THEM GONE OUT OF MY COUNTRY AND AS FOR THOSE WHO MARCH WITH THEM, YOU SHOULD HANG YOUR HEADS IN SHAME

"DEPORTATION AND NOT EDUCATION" YOU HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED A FREE EDUCATION AT THE EXPENSE OF THE AMERICAN TAXPAYERS AND, YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE A FREE COLLEGE EDUCATION TO